The Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) plans to invest $160 million in revenue to kickstart delayed projects and move ahead with a fistful of initiatives to help its ailing infrastructure.
On February 13, Gov. Laura Kelly joined Kansas Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz in announcing the plans, which are included in the governor’s fiscal year 2020 budget for transportation.
The $160 million comes from reducing the amount of money transferred out of the State Highway Fund, the governor’s office says in a press release.
Since 2011, more than $2 billion has been transferred out of the State Highway Fund, causing costly project delays, reduced highway preservation work, a decline in the health of the Kansas highway system and an inability to plan for future projects, the governor says.
“With this $160 million in revenue, we will strengthen our highway system, take steps towards completing T-WORKS, and provide resources to communities across the state,” says Kelly.
T-WORKS is a 10-year, $8 billion transportation program designed to create jobs, preserve highway infrastructure and also provide multimodal economic development opportunities across the state. KDOT is responsible for the delivery of T-WORKS, which was passed by the Legislature in 2010.
